Research
Research areas:
- Economic Geography
- Urban and Regional Economics
- Demography
- Law and Economics
Special Issue of the Journal of Risk and Financial Management:
Shocks, Public Policies and Housing Markets (Guest Editor: Rafael González-Val) Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 March 2024 15 December 2024.
Publications:
45.- González-Val, R., and M. Marcén. "Population growth and taxes: the effect of regional differences in the Spanish inheritance tax". The Annals of Regional Science, forthcoming.
44.- González-Val, R., D. P. Ximénez-de-Embún, and F. Sanz-Gracia, (2024). "A long-term, regional-level analysis of Zipf's and Gibrat's laws in the United States". Cities, 149, 104946. Online supplemental material for this article.
43.- González-Val, R., A. Ramos, and S. Standaert, (2024). "Urban growth in the long term: Belgium, 1880–1970". The Annals of Regional Science, 72: 881–902.
42.- González-Val, R., (2023). "Did the 2012 Spanish law reform to protect mortgage debtors modify banks’ lending behavior?" Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10, 822.
41.- González-Val, R., and J. Silvestre, (2023). "War and city size: The asymmetric effects of the Spanish Civil War". Journal of Regional Science, 63(4): 898–921. Online supplemental material for this article.
40.- González-Val, R., (2023). "Parametric, semiparametric and nonparametric models of urban growth". Cities, 132, 104079.
39.- González-Val, R., and M. Marcén, (2022). "Mass gathering events and the spread of infectious diseases: Evidence from the early growth phase of COVID-19". Economics and Human Biology, 46, 101140.
38.- González-Val, R., and F. Sanz-Gracia, (2022). "Urbanization and COVID-19 incidence: A cross-country investigation". Papers in Regional Science, 101(2): 399–415.
37.- González-Val, R., (2022). "House Prices and Marriage in Spain". Sustainability, 14(5), 2848.
36.- González-Val, R., (2021). "The Spanish spatial city size distribution". Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, 48(6): 1609–1631.
35.- González-Val, R., (2021). "The effects of the 2012 Spanish law reform to protect mortgage debtors". Housing Policy Debate, 31(2): 239–253.
34.- González-Val, R., (2021). "The Probability Distribution of Worldwide Forest Areas". Sustainability, 13(3), 1361.
33.- González-Val, R., and J. Silvestre, (2020). "An annual estimate of spatially disaggregated populations: Spain, 1900–2011". The Annals of Regional Science, 65: 491–508.
32.- González-Val, R., and M. Marcén, (2020). "Unemployment, Marital Breakdown, and Gender in Spain". Revista Española de Investigaciones Sociológicas, 171: 145–158.
31.- Díez-Minguela, A., R. González-Val, J. Martinez-Galarraga, M. T. Sanchis, and D. A. Tirado, (2020). "The long‐term relationship between economic development and regional inequality: South‐West Europe, 1860‐2010". Papers in Regional Science, 99(3): 479–508.
30.- González-Val, R., and F. Pueyo, (2019). "Natural resources, economic growth and geography”. Economic Modelling, 83: 150–159.
29.- González-Val, R., and M. Marcén, (2019). "Agglomeration economies in small cities and business: The impact of the Great Recession in Aragón (Spain)". Sustainability, 11(14), 3770. Reprinted in "Regions and Economic Resilience". Raul Ramos and Matías Mayor (Eds.), Printed Edition of the Special Issue Published in Sustainability, MDPI: Basel, Switzerland.
28.- González-Val, R., (2019). "US city-size distribution and space". Spatial Economic Analysis, 14(3): 283–300.
27.- González-Val, R., (2019). "Lognormal city size distribution and distance". Economics Letters, 181: 7–10.
26.- González-Val, R., (2019). "The spatial distribution of US cities". Cities, 91: 157–164.
25.- González-Val, R., (2019). "Historical urban growth in Europe (1300–1800)". Papers in Regional Science, 98(2): 1115–1136.
24.- González-Val, R., and M. Marcén, (2018). "Club classification of US Divorce Rates". The Manchester School, 86(4): 512–532.
23.- González-Val, R., and M. Marcén, (2018). "Unemployment, Marriage and Divorce". Applied Economics, 50(13): 1495–1508. Online supplemental material for this article.
22.- González-Val, R., and F. Pueyo, (2017). “Trade liberalisation and forest transition". International Journal of Economic Theory, 13(3): 269–287.
21.- González-Val, R., and M. Marcén, (2017). "Divorce and the business cycle: a cross-country analysis". Review of Economics of the Household, 15(3): 879–904.
20.- Cuberes, D., and R. González-Val, (2017). "The effect of the Spanish Reconquest on Iberian cities". The Annals of Regional Science, 58(3): 375–416.
19.- González-Val, R., E. Viladecans-Marsal and D. A. Tirado-Fabregat, (2017). "Market Potential and City Growth: Spain 1860-1960". Cliometrica, 11(1): 31–61.
18.- González-Val, R., (2016). “War size distribution: Empirical regularities behind conflicts“. Defence and Peace Economics, 27(6): 838–853.
17.- González-Val, R., and L. Lanaspa, (2016). "Patterns in U.S. Urban Growth (1790-2000)”. Regional Studies, 50(2): 289–309.
16.- Martínez-Galarraga, J., D. A. Tirado-Fabregat and R. González-Val, (2015). "Market potential and regional economic growth in Spain (1860-1930)". European Review of Economic History, 19(4): 335–358.
15.- González-Val, R., and J. Olmo, (2015). "Growth in a Cross-Section of Cities: Location, Increasing Returns or Random Growth?" Spatial Economic Analysis, 10(2): 230–261.
14.- González-Val, R., A. Ramos, F. Sanz-Gracia and M. Vera-Cabello, (2015). "Size Distributions for All Cities: Which One is Best?". Papers in Regional Science, 94(1): 177–196.
13.- González-Val, R., (2015). “Cross-sectional Growth in US Cities from 1990 to 2000”. Journal of Geographical Systems, 17(1): 83–106.
12.- González-Val, R., L. Lanaspa and F. Sanz-Gracia, (2014). “New Evidence on Gibrat’s Law for Cities”. Urban Studies, 51(1): 93–115.
11.- Sánchez-Vidal, M., R. González-Val and E. Viladecans-Marsal, (2014). "Sequential city growth in the US: Does age matter?", Regional Science and Urban Economics, 44: 29–37.
10.- González-Val, R., A. Ramos and F. Sanz-Gracia, (2013). "The accuracy of graphs to describe size distributions". Applied Economics Letters, 20(17): 1580–1585.
9.- González-Val, R., L. Lanaspa and F. Sanz-Gracia, (2013). “Gibrat’s law for cities, growth regressions and sample size”. Economics Letters, 118(2): 367–369.
8.- González-Val, R., (2012). “A nonparametric estimation of the local Zipf exponent for all US cities”. Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design, 39(6): 1119–1130.
7.- González-Val, R., and M. Marcén, (2012). “Breaks in the breaks: An analysis of divorce rates in Europe”. International Review of Law and Economics, 32(2): 242–255.
6.- González-Val, R., and M. Marcén, (2012). “Unilateral divorce versus child custody and child support in the U.S.”. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 81(2): 613–643.
5.- Clemente, J., R. González-Val, and I. Olloqui, (2011). “Zipf’s and Gibrat’s laws for migrations”. The Annals of Regional Science, 47(1): 235–248.
4.- González-Val, R., (2011). “Deviations from Zipf’s law for American cities: an empirical examination”. Urban Studies, 48(5): 1017–1035.
3.- González-Val, R., (2010). “The evolution of US city size distribution from a long term perspective (1900-2000)”. Journal of Regional Science, 50(5): 952–972.
2.- González-Val, R., and M. Sanso-Navarro, (2010). “Gibrat’s law for countries”. Journal of Population Economics, 23(4): 1371–1389.
1.- González-Val, R., L. Lanaspa and F. Pueyo, (2009). “Trade policies, concentration, growth and welfare”. Economic Modelling, 26(6): 1355–1364.
Other publications:
4.- González-Val, R., and M. Marcén, (2024). "Growth in small cities: The case of Aragon (Spain)". Investigaciones Regionales - Journal of Regional Research, 58: 113–130.
3.- González-Val, R., (2022). "A Time Series Analysis of Judicial Foreclosures in Spain". Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 15(10): 472.
2.- González-Val, R., and J. Silvestre, (2022). "The effect of the Spanish Civil War on city shares". Peace Economics, Peace Science and Public Policy, 28(1): 3–11.
1.- González-Val, R., (2012). "Zipf’s law: Main issues in empirical work". Région et Développement, special issue on "Urban hierachies and city growth - Recent developments on Zipf's and Gibrat's laws for cities," n° 36-2012, 147–164.
Publications in Spanish:
2.- Cuberes, D., and R. González-Val, (2021). "Políticas de redistribución espacial y regeneración urbana". Presupuesto y Gasto Público, 102: 55–74.
1.- González-Val, R., and M. Marcén, (2018). "Concentración empresarial y economías de aglomeración en Aragón". Funded by Consejo Económico y Social de Aragón (Premio de Investigación Ángela López Jiménez, 2017 call).
Working papers:
- "Market access, the skill premium and human capital in Spain (1860-1930)", with Pau Insa-Sánchez, Julio Martinez-Galarraga and Daniel A. Tirado-Fabregat. European Historical Economics Society (EHES) Working Paper No. 229, October 2022 .
Citations: scholar google, scopus
Press coverage:
¿Cuál es la profesión con más divorcios en España?. Antena3 Noticias, July 16, 2023.
Ni periodistas ni pilotos: estas son las profesiones que más se divorcian en España. TeleMadrid, July 13, 2023.
Ni periodistas ni pilotos: estas son las profesiones que más se divorcian en España. El confidencial, July 10, 2023.
No creo en el matrimonio actual. El mundo, December 9, 2022.
Cuando la vivienda sube las bodas bajan. The Conversation, May 3, 2022.
Wars and city sizes. Media briefings - RES Annual Conference 2022 #RES2022, April 12, 2022.
Un 42% menos durante el estado de alarma: así ha afectado la COVID-19 a los divorcios y separaciones. Newtral, October 5, 2020.
Madrid aglutina el 44% de la fuga de empresas de Aragón desde el 2015. El Periódico de Aragón, September 27, 2020.
Fuera mitos: las rentas medias son las que más emigran por el Impuesto de Sucesiones. Libre Mercado, January 22, 2020.
Cuando votar con los pies es una posibilidad: el caso del Impuesto de Sucesiones y Donaciones. Muy Negocios & Economía, January 9, 2020.
Mapa del 'dumping' fiscal: así se mueve España para pagar menos por la herencia. La Información, December 30, 2019.
El IEF demuestra qué colectivos cambian de residencia por el 'dumping' de las herencias. Invertia, December 29, 2019.
Doce proyectos de investigación de Ciencias Sociales, becados por Fundación Ramón Areces. Europa Press, October 28, 2019.
Fundación Ramón Areces adjudica 432.000 euros en ayudas a 12 proyectos de investigación en Ciencias Sociales. Bolsamania, October 28, 2019.
El verano quema a las parejas. El Periódico de Aragón, August 19, 2018.
The Elephant (-Shaped Curve) in the Room: Economic Development and Regional Inequality in South-West Europe. NEP-HIS Blog, March 30, 2018.
Desigualdad económica regional en Europa: ¿de dónde venimos, a dónde vamos? (II) Nada es Gratis, January 18, 2018.
Desigualdad económica regional en Europa: ¿de dónde venimos, a dónde vamos? (I) Nada es Gratis, January 17, 2018.
The long-term relationship between economic development and regional inequality: South-West Europe, 1860-2010. Positive Check (blog of the European Historical Economics Society), January 10, 2018.
En la riqueza y en la pobreza... Matrimonio, divorcio y desempleo Nada es Gratis, February 25, 2016.
Dime dónde vives y te diré hasta cuándo te quiero. Heraldo de Aragón, November 9, 2015.
¿Hasta que los brotes verdes nos separen?. Heraldo de Aragón, November 7, 2014.
El futuro en 56 proyectos. El país, November 2, 2014.
Conferences:
2024: 31st Meeting on Public Economics (Pamplona, Spain).
2023: Annual Conference of the Royal Economic Society (Glasgow, UK); 12th European Meeting of the Urban Economics Association (Milan, Italy); 14th International Conference "Challenges of Europe: Design for the Next Generation" (Bol, Brac island, Croatia); XXV Encuentro de Economía Aplicada (Toledo, Spain); 13th Annual Conference of the Spanish Association of Law and Economics (Madrid, Spain); 9th International conference on Time Series and Forecasting (Gran Canaria, Spain); 62nd Congress of the European Regional Science Association (Alicante, Spain); 25th INFER Annual Conference (Valencia, Spain); 51st Annual Research Conference on Communications, Information and Internet Policy (Washington DC, USA); 70th North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International (San Diego, USA); 19th Annual Conference of the Italian Society of Law and Economics (Brescia, Italy).
2022: 15th Conference on Empirical Legal Studies (virtual); 38th Annual American Real Estate Society conference (Bonita Springs, USA); Annual Conference of the Royal Economic Society (virtual); Annual Meeting of the Society of Economics of the Household (London, UK); XXIV Encuentro de Economía Aplicada (Palma de Mallorca, Spain); 35th Annual Conference of the European Society for Population Economics (Calabria, Italy); 12th Annual Conference of the Spanish Association of Law and Economics (Oviedo, Spain); 61st Congress of the European Regional Science Association (virtual); 39th Annual Conference of the European Association of Law and Economics (Carcavelos, Portugal); XLVII Reunión de Estudios Regionales (Granada, Spain); 69th Annual North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International (Montreal, Canada); 92nd Annual Meeting of the Southern Economic Association (Fort Lauderdale, USA); 18th Annual Conference of the Italian Society of Law and Economics (Palermo, Italy).
2021: 37th Annual American Real Estate Society conference (virtual); 60th Annual Meeting of the Southern Regional Science Association (virtual); 10th European Meeting of the Urban Economics Association (virtual); 28th Meeting on Public Economics (virtual); XXIII Encuentro de Economía Aplicada (virtual); 27th Annual Conference of the European Real Estate Society (virtual); 34th Annual Conference of the European Society for Population Economics (virtual); Annual Conference of the International Association for Applied Econometrics (virtual); 26th Annual Conference of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (virtual); 20th Jan Tinbergen Peace Science Conference (virtual); XIV Jornadas de la Asociación Española de Economía Laboral (virtual); 7th International conference on Time Series and Forecasting (Gran Canaria, Spain); 60th Congress of the European Regional Science Association (virtual); IX Conference of the Spanish-Portuguese Association of Resources and Environmental Economics (virtual); 38th Annual Conference of the European Association of Law and Economics (virtual); 68th North America Meetings of the Regional Science Association International (virtual); XLVI Reunión de Estudios Regionales (Madrid, Spain); 46th Simposio de la Asociación Española de Economía-Spanish Economic Association (Barcelona, Spain).
2020: 27th Meeting on Public Economics (Barcelona, Spain); I International on-line Conference on Regional Science (virtual).
2019: 58th Annual Meeting of the Southern Regional Science Association (Washington DC, USA); 3rd Conference of the Society of Economics of the Household (Lisbon, Portugal); XXII Encuentro de Economía Aplicada (Cartagena, Spain); 33rd Annual Conference of the European Society for Population Economics (Bath, UK); 10th Annual Conference of the Spanish Association of Law and Economics (Porto, Portugal); 59th Congress of the European Regional Science Association (Lyon, France); XLV Reunión de Estudios Regionales (Castellón, Spain); 44th Simposio de la Asociación Española de Economía-Spanish Economic Association (Alicante, Spain).
2018: Sixth World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economists (Gothenburg, Sweden); 58th Congress of the European Regional Science Association (Cork, Ireland); 86th International Atlantic Economic Conference (New York, USA); XLIV Reunión de Estudios Regionales (Valencia, Spain); XXXXIII Symposium of Economic Analysis (Getafe, Spain).
2017: XX Encuentro de Economía Aplicada (Valencia, Spain); 57th Congress of the European Regional Science Association (Groningen, the Netherlands); XXXXII Symposium of Economic Analysis (Barcelona, Spain).
2016: 55th Annual Meeting of the Western Regional Science Association (Big Island, USA); 16th Jan Tinbergen European Peace Science Conference (Milan, Italy); 28th Annual European Association of Labour Economists Conference (Ghent, Belgium).
2015: Seventh Iberian Economic History Conference (Porto, Potugal); XVIII Encuentro de Economía Aplicada (Alicante, Spain); 15th Jan Tinbergen European Peace Science Conference (Coventry, UK); Annual Conference of the International Association for Applied Econometrics (Thessaloniki, Greece); XI Jornadas de la Asociación Española de Economía Laboral (Barcelona, Spain); 55th Congress of the European Regional Science Association (Lisbon, Portugal); 62nd Annual North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International (Portland, USA); XXXX Symposium of Economic Analysis (Girona, Spain).
2014: Annual Conference of the Royal Economic Society (Manchester, UK); XVII Encuentro de Economía Aplicada (Gran Canaria, Spain); Annual Conference of the International Association for Applied Econometrics (London, UK); Fifth World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economists (Istanbul, Turkey); 54th Congress of the European Regional Science Association (St. Petersburg, Russia); 61st Annual North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International (Washington DC, USA); XL Reunión de Estudios Regionales (Zaragoza, Spain); XXXIX Symposium of Economic Analysis (Palma de Mallorca, Spain).
2013: Sixth Iberian Economic History Conference (Zaragoza, Spain); XVI Encuentro de Economía Aplicada (Granada, Spain); XXVII Annual Conference of the European Society for Population Economics (Aarhus, Denmark); Seventh World Congress of Cliometrics (Honolulu, USA); 53rd Congress of the European Regional Science Association (Palermo, Italy); 60th Annual North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International (Atlanta, USA); XXXVIII Symposium of Economic Analysis (Santander, Spain).
2012: 51st Annual Meeting of the Western Regional Science Association (Kauai, USA); 19th Annual Conference of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (Praga, Czech Republic); 66th European Meeting of the Econometric Society (Málaga, Spain); 59th Annual North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International (Ottawa, Canada); XXXVII Symposium of Economic Analysis (Vigo, Spain).
2011: 15th International Conference on Macroeconomic Analysis and International Finance (Crete, Greece); 26th Annual Congress of the European Economic Association and 65th European Meeting of the Econometric Society (Oslo, Norway); 51th Congress of the European Regional Science Association (Barcelona, Spain); 23rd Annual European Association of Labour Economists Conference (Pafos, Cyprus); 58th Annual North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International (Miami, USA); XXXVI Symposium of Economic Analysis (Malaga, Spain).
2010: 14th International Conference on Macroeconomic Analysis and International Finance (Crete, Greece); 9th Annual Conference of the European Economics and Finance Society (Athens, Greece); XIII Encuentro de Economía Aplicada (Seville, Spain); Fourth World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economists (Montreal, Canada); I Workshop on Urban Economics (Barcelona, Spain); 50th Congress of the European Regional Science Association (Jönköping, Sweden); 25th Annual Congress of the European Economic Association (Glasgow, Scotland); 57th Annual North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International (Denver, USA); XXXV Symposium of Economic Analysis (Madrid, Spain).
2009: XVI Symposium on Public Economics (Granada, Spain); 67th International Atlantic Economic Conference (Rome, Italy); XII Encuentro de Economía Aplicada (Madrid, Spain); VIII Jornadas de la Asociación Española de Economía Laboral (Zaragoza, Spain); 24th Annual Congress of the European Economic Association (Barcelona, Spain); 56th Annual North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International (San Francisco, USA); XXXV Reunión de Estudios Regionales (Valencia, Spain); XXXIV Symposium of Economic Analysis (Valencia, Spain).
2008: XI Encuentro de Economía Aplicada (Salamanca, Spain); XXII Annual Conference of the European Society for Population Economics (London, UK); 48th Congress of the European Regional Science Association (Liverpool, UK); 55th North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International (New York, USA); XXXIV Reunión de Estudios Regionales (Jaén, Spain); XXXIII Symposium of Economic Analysis (Zaragoza, Spain).
2007: VII Jornadas de la Asociación Española de Economía Laboral (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain); XXXII Symposium of Economic Analysis (Granada, Spain).
2006: IV Workshop in Economic Geography (Castellón, Spain).